I guess failure to follow the word of the rules is not limited to squadrons
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The only way to do it is put in strict time served requirements, ie two ātoursā as adult staff.
If this presents problems then it should mean a proper look at recruitment / retention, as that is the only reason we end up with young / inexperienced people in charge, who find themselves out of their depth / unprepared.
The actual training you get as well is pitifully lacking. From my own experience and speaking to others the OSC doesnāt prepare people for all the different expectations that taking a command bring. If you have prior knowledge / experience before going it can fill some gaps, but doesnāt prepare you for the sort of problems you can find with staff, cadets, parents and committee, which can be time consuming and mentally draining that suck the enthusiasm from your marrow. You only get this sort of experience / knowledge by being involved at a more junior level. One particular area that has increased over my period of command is safeguarding and is totally unsupported. Iāve raised this with the Wing CPO and the response is donāt know, so now I donāt bother and seek advice from people I know with day to day experience to get advice. But they have told me, unless we have the systems in place to share and request information with say schools, we can do nothing, except just be concerned with internal matters.
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Teflon,
I saw it and witnessed it myself a newbie goes to cranwell, does IOC then their SCC back to back and they leave after 2 weeks a Flt Lt.
I questioned this 7 years ago when I was appointed to Sqn OC but was a Fg Off, the then Wing Co challenged the RC who then sent a copy of the paperwork and it was clearly marked as the IBN
4 years before being promoted to Flt Lt and it still annoys me to this day that we have 1 clear rule but numerous ways of implementing it 
For more on this one, see my NEP post (more circular references!)
Ummmā¦ How does that work with our squadron with NO uniformed staff on strength, will we have to wait for four years after someone gets commissioned before we have an OC? What will the new officer do for the next four years - watch how the CIs have been doing it and learn from them?
Inevitably, the longest served CIs will not want a commission (well, I donāt anyway, even if I wasnāt too old)
Makes senseā¦ but if it worked that way thereād be no OCs at all!
There is nothing stopping a newly commissioned officer taking an established post, they just wonāt be promoted unless they meet the time & matrix requirementsā¦
Guys, I was being sarcasticā¦
Looking at the matrix group C for promotion to Flt Lt, sqn cdr is not there. So if you take command of a sqn then you will never be promoted to Flt Lt.
IMO weāre all the same in a couple of days so what clothes we wear makes no difference to what we do.
Possibly over simplistic, but the donning of a particular style of clothes and or badges, does not produce some latent hidden talent to be a CO or SNCO for that matter. Believe me, you get put into post and you make the best fist of it you can, given what you have to work with and what you can get in.
The biggest sticking point of this approach is the mental capacity for those up the chain to be able to cope with / respect people in that role if they arenāt officers. I know plenty of CIs and SNCOs who could run a squadrons as well as anyone, BUT we are stuck in nonsensical (given who we are) hierarchical system, that doesnāt allow for it, unless they have to. I think it should become the norm from now on, people in positions due to their ability not the uniform.
Like work, you accept promotion (for the money mainly), but that generally comes with responsibilities that you never envisaged and you do the best you can. I know a number of technically exceptional people who become managers on the basis of their technical ability, but donāt enjoy the other things.
Hit the nail on the head really. Inexperienced OCs arenāt the problem in themselves, theyāre a symptom of a larger problem. The very-junior-OC issue also tends to be magnified by the fact that they are one of the most senior personnel on the unit, which means that thereās often not someone there to help out. I was a pretty junior OC at one time, but I managed fairly well not least because I had a very experienced WO and a supportive WSO.
But the support issues comes down as well to the fact the established OC is looking to get out and not wanting to hang around. If they were encouraged to hang around OR put the new OC onto the squadron a year before the current OC was looking to depart, but they take on dealing with issues and coming into committee meetings, with the current OC doing an advisory role, could help out.
I have always had an adult SNCO as the first POC when parents etc come in and they have found they better understand how to deal with things if they need to, if Iām not there. If it gets out of hand then I get involved but largely it gets resolved.
Ah, this is where we fundamentally differ. It is not like work. I donāt want promotion, I just want to teach a few cadets a few things about flying on a Friday evening.
I donāt want to run a squadron under any circumstances.
You do raise an interesting point though, why are there no CI Wing Staff Officers?
There are, I know of a CI WATTO for a start.
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As do I.
I think it comes down to the old problem of people high up in uniforms not wanting people not in uniform to do things.
Thereās no reason any of the posts (maybe bar WWO and WSO) canāt be CIs
Why not I mean we are now all civilians and now need to look at the title civilian instructor now that we are all civilians
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You canāt put CIās into executive posts as they donāt fit in the CoC. (Wing CO, Sector Commander or WWO).
But I see no reason why CIās canāt take on specialism roles if they are the best person for the job. (AT, DofE, Sports, Training etc)
Not sure how they would fit in Shooting/FT as they are very much uniformed roles and arenāt my world.
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FT I understand as the regulations for ECO mean you need to be in uniform, but not sure about shooting.
Cadet Training Ranges 17 requires the SPO to be a WO or Flt Lt +, in most cases OC Wing (Ex Director) will appoint the Shooting Officer as the Wing SPO, so there is then a rank requirement.
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Iāve known of several Cis doing Wing Staff jobs, as they are the ones with the expertise and more importantly interest.
Iāve seen too many put into a role just because they wear a uniform, not interest in it whatsoever but mates with the Wg Cdr, when there are people much better suited, but no uniform (or more like face doesnāt fit) and they couldnāt do it.
Round pegs in round holes.
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